Some automotive drive axles include a differential assembly including a gear set which is supported within a differential housing to facilitate relative rotation between a pair of output shafts. The gear set typically includes a pair of helical side gears that are splined to the ends of axle shafts. The helical side gears are meshed with paired sets of helical pinions generally supported on a cross pin coupled to the differential housing. In response to speed differentiation between the output shafts, torque transmitted through meshed engagement of the side gears and pinions generates thrust forces that are exerted by the gear components against the wall surface of the differential housing to frictionally limit the speed differentiation and proportionally deliver torque between the output shafts.
In addition, many automotive drive axles include a hypoid gear set for changing the direction of power transmission from an axis parallel to the direction of vehicle travel to an axis perpendicular thereto. The hypoid gear set includes a ring gear coupled to the differential housing and a pinion gear journally supported within the axle housing. To facilitate proper function of the drive axle assembly, the differential is mounted on a pair of slidable differential bearings.
In one arrangement, a sleeve and insert assembly is pressed into the axle housing outboard of the differential bearing. The sleeve typically includes castle extensions formed on an outer face for engagement with an adjustment tool. The sleeve is rotatably driven relative to the insert with the adjustment tool and toward the differential bearing. The differential bearing preload and hypoid gear backlash are then measured. The sleeve may be adjusted accordingly to achieve a desired measurement. Once the desired preload and backlash are set, a clip is positioned in engagement with adjacent castles on the sleeve to lock the sleeve relative to the axle housing and, consequently, maintain the desired bearing preload and backlash. The clip is typically held in a cast pocket in the axle housing by grease prior to deflection. Once deflected, the clip is retained on a first end by adjacent castles on the sleeve and retained on an opposite end between the axle housing pocket and insert.
While the aforementioned arrangement has been useful in retaining the differential bearings at the desired location, the assembly process is complicated and time consuming due to the alignment of the clip relative to adjacent castle extensions. Furthermore, the step of deflecting the clip can be difficult and may require an installer to back-off or further tighten the adjuster sleeve to align respective castles on the adjuster sleeve for receipt of the clip. In the event that the adjuster sleeve needs to be backed-off or tightened, the bearing preload or hypoid gear backlash may consequently be moved to a less desirable measurement. Therefore, a need exists to provide an improved arrangement for setting bearing preload and gear set backlash.